Trout? Bass? Walleye? CNY fishing is among the best you'll find anywhere

File photoA nice smallmouth bass caught the Seneca River at the top of Onondaga Lake.

Central New York and the surrounding area has it all when it comes to prime freshwater fishing.
Anglers have their pick of some of the best trout, bass, walleye, perch, salmon -- and yes, carp -- waters anywhere.
Nearby Oneida Lake ranks among the top, close-to-home waters. It's a virtual walleye factory, thanks to annual stocking by the state Department of Conservation fish hatchery in Constantia.
If that isn't enough, the lake has a growing reputation as a top bass fishing destination thanks to past Bassmaster competitions on its waters that have been televised nationally on ESPN.

This year, the well-known professional bass fishing tour returns with another Elite Series competition scheduled for Aug. 13 to 16.

Close to downtown Syracuse is Onondaga Lake. Lunker smallmouth, largemouth, carp, panfish and other fish frequent the waters of the lake once touted among the country's most polluted.

Those traveling to the west of Syracuse run into the Finger Lakes and their fine array of fishing offerings.

Based on charter boat creel counts, Skaneateles Lake ranks as the top trout lake among them. The lake, which serves as the water supply for the city of Syracuse, is teeming with rainbow trout, lake trout and landlocked salmon. In addition, the lake has a healthy supply of smallmouth bass and perch, among other species.

Interested in great stream fishing? The area offers a host of streams. Among them, Nine Mile Creek, which Onondaga County stocks with some 40,000 (that's right, 40,000) trout each year. Other notable streams include Chittenango and Limestone creeks, along with West Canada Creek near Utica.

If you're looking to hook into a really big fish, look to Lake Ontario.

Take a guided charter trip out of Oswego harbor. Anglers trolling in sight of the Oswego shoreline have their choice of Alaska-sized chinook salmon, hefty lake trout or trophy-sized brown trout and steelhead.